


born this way

by orphan_account



Category: Gravity Falls
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Gen, Gender Dysphoria, Mystery Twins, Suppotive Stan, TW: wrong pronouns in the beginning, Trans Dipper Pines, Trans Female Character, Trans Mabel Pines, Trans Male Character, Transphobia, Younger Pines Twins, transgender AU, unsupportive parents
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-26
Updated: 2020-04-26
Packaged: 2021-03-01 21:06:50
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,610
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23853541
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: Stella and Steven both never felt right since they were young. As they get older, they read up on what being transgender is. To their dismay, their parents think they just need some "fresh air" to clear their minds and chase away their "phase" They then relize that Gravity Falls is a fresh start.
Comments: 7
Kudos: 196





	born this way

**Author's Note:**

> I love both trans!dipper and trans!mabel, so i thought "why not both?" I also did change the plot of some episodes in some places that I think it would need to be.

Stella and Steven knew from a young age that they didn't feel right. The twinge when ever someone would call them by their assigned gender, wearing clothes assigned for them, and most of all their names. Steven always wanted to have a million rainbow colored stuffed animals and dolls, only to be scolded for wanting "girl toys" Stella asked for them instead, and would let her brother play with them. Stella hated being forced to wear skirts and have pink bedsheets, and wished to have to plainer clothes and decor of her brother.

One night when they were nine, Stella finally said something.

"Steve, do you ever feel wrong?" Her brother looked up from combing their unicorn doll's mane

"What do you mean?"

"I mean, like, you don't want to be a boy and wish you could be a girl? I wish I could be a boy." Her brother's eyes lit up.

"You feel that too?" he was bouncing up in down in excitement "I wish I could be a girl and wear your skirts and have long hair past my chin and everything!"

The twins expeirmented often after that, switching clothes when their parents wern't looking, and Steven eventually convinced his parents to let him grow his hair a little longer, but only to his chin. Their parents grudgingly let Steven pick up knitting and arts and crafts, but in return he had to play middle school football to "toughen him up" Stella tried her best to be boyish, and wanted more than anything to cut all his long hair off. She hated it when his mother fawned over it and styled it all the time. She hated the look of jelousy on his brothers face. Late at night, she would do her best to style her brother's hair from youtube tutorials. When Stella was gifted some makeup for their 12th birthday, she gladly put it on her brother that night.

One day, they snuck into the 'gender and sexuality" isle of the library. The huddled in the small isle, flipping into

_Gender and Sexuality for Beginners by Edna Fisher_

_Chapter 9: Transgender._

_Transgender is a term used to describe people who feel a different sex or gender than assigned at birth, or "born in the wrong body". People who feel this way usually want to be refered to as the opposit gender. Ex: A person who is assigned as female at birth, who wants to be refered to using he/him pronouns, or vice versa. Some may just want to be refered to as they/them. People who are transgender may change their name to the appropriate gender they identify as. They may require surgery to change their body parts or take hormones to help them transition. They may bind their breasts using bandages or tuck their genitals. This is extremely da-_

They snapped the book shut before they could finish reading, as the heard someone walk past. They placed the book back on the shelf and quickly exited the library. On the walk home, they excitedly looked at each other. 

"Thats us! We feel exactly like that!" Steven loudly whispered. Stella grinned back. That night, they decided that Steven would be called she/her, and Stella would be he/him. Stella and Steven wern't right as their names anymore, but they would have to think about that.

The last time they were switching clothes, they got caught by their parents. It was not pretty at all. Their parents yelled at them for half an hour, and sent them to their room for the rest of the night. In tears, Steven eavesdropped through the door. 

"Just a phase" they said "Just Need some fresh air to clear their minds" Steven and Stella were shocked when they heard that they were being shipped up to their uncles house. They had only met Stan once, when they were very young. Steven suddenly had an idea. She turned to look at her brother and grinned for the first time all night.

"Stan is an old man, he forgets things! We can convince him that we are the way we are!" Stella grinned back. 

"Yeah! And nobody in that town has ever seen us before either!" Suddenly, the twins were very much looking forward to this summer.

* * *

"Didn't that book say something about bandages?" Stella said, packing his sister's old clothes and bedsheets in his own bag with some allowence money.

"I think so. We don't have those" Steven said shrugging her shoulders. She was packing yarn and craft supplies with Stella's old clothes. She threw 10 sweaters in, along with 3 of the "girly" ones that she kept a secret from their parents. She put some sissors in with a grin

"Kids! It's time to go!" Their mom's voice came from the kitchen. It was go time.

The twins came up with a plan the night before. Their parents were dropping them off at the bus stop that just so happened to be outside the drug store half an hour before the bus came. In that time, they would sneak into the drug store and buy hair extensions for Steven. They would then go into the bathroom, and cut of Stella's hair and bind him using two sports bras. They switched clothes and Stella put the extensions in Steven's hair while she put on her makeup. They looked in the mirror, and almost cried. They finally looked they way they always wanted. 

Stella checked his watch and confimed that the bus would be here any minute. They headed out just in time to see the bus pull in and his to a stop. The doors flipped open, and an old man greeted them. 

"Why hello there! Are you two the only ones here?" They nodded and stepped on. "What's your name little girl?" To their delight, it was directed at Steven.

"Mabel!" She said suddenly. It was a spur of the moment decision, but somehow fit her. It was Stella's middle name after their great grandma

"And this is my twin brother Dipper!" Dipper was his nickname when they were younger, after his birthmark.

"Well, welcome aboard, kids!" The old man chuckled. They plopped down in a seat.

"Dipper? Mabel?" he questioned her as soon as they were moving. Mabel looked slightly guilty. 

"Sorry, I panicked!"

"No, actually, I like them." he smiled at his sister. She looked relieved

"So do I"

* * *

Stan came to pick them up when they got there, and drove them back to his house. It was a tourist trap called "The Mystery Shack". It was about 7 pm when they arrived, and both of them were hungry.

"Make yourselves some sandwichs or something." Grunkle Stan said, moving to the fridge to make his own. After dinner, they were sitting awkardly in the living room.

"So, uh. You're Steven," he said pointing to Dipper "And you're Stella" Pointing at Mabel. the twins glanced at each other for a moment.

"I go by Dipper" Dipper said

"And I go by Mabel! It's my middle name" she added after Stan gave a confused look.

"Okay." Stan said. He could have sworn that Stella (Mabel now, he reminded himself) was the one with the birthmark, but he was getting old. He just chalked it up to having memory problems. 

"well, I set up beds in the attic for you two, so why don't you hit the hay." Dipper and Mabel excitedly dressed for bed in each others old pajama's. Mabel loved her new nightgown. it felt _right._ Dipper just slept in his clothes, but removed his shoes, hat, and vest. They couldn't beleive that they pulled it off. Maybe they were better at this thing than they thought.

* * *

Dipper loved it when Wendy and Soos called him "dude" or "man" and Mabel was delighted by Stan's nicknames of "sweetie" or "pumpkin" So far nobody had noticed, and if they did, they didn't say anything. The twins went though many adventures over the next few weeks, but even the gnomes didn't say notice and wanted to make Mabel their 'queen'. Gideon said the same thing (even though he tried to kill them). 

One afternoon, they were at the diner getting food. Dipper decided he would do the manliness tester to try and win them pancakes. Stan laughed in his face. 

"Manly? You?" Dipper went red and tried not to cry. he really thought he was doing a good job. Mabel punched stan in the arm.

"How dare you! Dipper is the manliest man I know!" She came over and patted him on the back. "Right _Bro_?" Dipper smiled appreiatively. Mabel helped him try to pull the lever. They lost, but it was worth a try.

Later that day, Mabel was yelling encourging words through a megaphone and counting Dipper's pushups. Dipper decided to build up some muscle to become more manly. Even though Stan didn't mean it that way because he didn't know, it still hurt when he said that. Stan came out the back door when they reached 26.

"Uh, hey kids." he rubbed the back of his neck. They glanced at him without saying anything. Were still mad at him for what he said earlier. "Look, I'm sorry I called you un-manly. If you want to put on some muscles, I can teach you to box." 

"Really?" Dipper asked excitedly.

"Really." Stan grinned back. 

Mabel and Dipper finally decided to tell Grunkle Stan the truth after that . The next morning, Mabel was the first to speak.

"Grunkle Stan, we have something to tell you." Stan put down his fork to show that he was listening. 

"I'm actually Steven, and Dipper is actually Stella." Stan looked a little confused

"Those are our dead names. We are both transgender, and want to be called as we are now and look how we look." Dipper cut in. 

"Our parents think it's just a phase, and that's why they sent us up here." Mabel said. They both looked at Stan nervously. He had an unreadable expression on his face.

"So that's why you guys got so offended yesterday." Stan relized. "I'm sorry kids." Mabel and Dipper's jaw dropped.

"Look, I don't care what you were born as. You two are my family. And if you want to be my niece and nephew-" he said pointing at Mabel and Dipper respectively. "Then you can be." Stan felt two little bodies slam him into a hug.

"Thanks Grunkle Stan!" Mabel said, tears in her eyes. He ruffled their hair, and for the first time in a long time, he felt the need to protect someone. He knew that he needed to protect these kids at all costs, and maybe have a 'friendly' talk with their parents sometime.

* * *

It was months later, after the whole portal incident. Ford was back, and immeaditly hit it off with Dipper. Ford was very observant, and had noticed. He never said anything, because in all his years in the portal he had seen millions of different species an all their genders. Seeing the human 2 genders branch off into many others barely phased him.

It was almost the end of summer now, and Dipper had just gotten back from the best day of his life. He saved Ford, and now he could stay in Gravity Falls! He never needed to go back to his parents now. 

"Mabel! I just had the best of my life! there were UFOS and Aliens and- Hey are you okay?" Mabel was not looking at him, her arms crossed. 

"Tell me it's not true! Tell me you were joking!" Of course. Mabel had never crossed his mind until now

"Look Mabel! It's a huge oppertunity for me"

"It's a terrible opportunity for me! I have to go back alone and face mom and dad by myself? I was just finally feeling like myself, and now it's all going to end!" She turned and ran out of the shack and into the woods. Dipper felt waves of guilt crash over him. How could he be so selfish? Leaving Mabel to face their parents wrath by herself, while he lived it up here in Gravity Falls. The more he thought about it, the more he relized that he barely even knew Ford. He needed to find Mabel and apologize.

Too bad the sky split open at that very moment.

He found Mabel two days later in some pink bubble that looked like Lisa Frank and The Care Bears had a baby that threw up everywhere. Mabel didn't even want to leave it. She gave everyone everything they wanted, including herself. he wasn't sure how it escalated into a court session but here they are.

The 'reality' that they used against Dipper were the twins worst memories.

_A little boy and girl of about 7 years old were in line for photos. A little boy has tears in his eyes while feeling his bare neck. His parents made him cut his hair short again for school pictures. He tugs at the tie that feels so wrong. The little girl next to him scratches at the frilly dress she was forced into._

_The same pair of siblings, now about 10. They are both miserable as the boy is running around the football field, longingly looking at the yarn waiting for him in the bleachers. Meanwhile, The girl is frowning as her mother tugs a brush through her long hair._

Is life any better now?

_their parents yelling at them for half an hour, grunkle stan laughing in his face, mabel running into the woods_

Yes, there was more to real life to live for. Dipper presented his own case

_The 7 year old girl cut off of half of her hair, and stuck it onto the boy's head with glue (it took 3 showers to get the glue out)_

_The 10 year old twins staying up late at night, switching clothes and doing the boys makeup_

While, yes life sometimes thunderstormed on you, there was always a rainbow to look for.

_The twins fixing each other up in the bathroom, stan apoligizing and helping them out, and them saving each other on multiple other occasions over the summer._

"I can't beleive I was going to leave you all alone at home, and spend my teen years cooped up in a lab. From now on, wherever we go, we go togethor." The brother and sister hugged, and even did the pats. The entire bubble turned into a nightmare in the blink of an eye. They ran until they popped the bubble. the real world was a mess, but they had a feeling that even so, they could possibly win togethor

* * *

Weirdmageddon was over, and everything, including Stan's mind was back in place. It was time for the Twins to leave and face their parents. for their birthday, Mabel got a all sorts of hair clips and new skirts. Her hair was now long enough to go without the extensions. Dipper got an actual binder that worked like magic. They both finally felt truely like themselves.

"I will call and have a 'friendly' talk with your parents." Said Stan. "Let me know if they give you trouble, because so help me I will come and stick it right up their-"

"I think they get it, Stanley" Ford cut him off hastily. 

Mabel ended up being able to take Waddles with her (Dipper shrunk him on the way home so that they could claim he was a 'hairless guinea pig')

Dipper and Mabel had grown alot over the summer and found their true identities. It was time to head into the unknown.


End file.
